Objective To compare dosimetric parameters between automatic three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (a3DCRT),inverse three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (i3DRT),inverse intensity-modulated radiotherapy (iIMRT).Methods Ten lung cancer patients with a single target and 10 intracranial tumor patients also with a single target,who were treated in our radiotherapy center from 2014 to 2015,were included in the study.Their image data were transferred to RayStation 4.5 via network,and then the treatment plans for a3DCRT,i3DCRT,and iIMRT were designed for the 20 patients.The dosimetric parameters for planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OAR) were compared between the three plans using multiple dependent variables and two dependent variables.Results For lung cancer patients,iIMRT achieved better results in D98％,D50％,D2％,conformity index (CI),and homogeneity index (HI) than i3DCRT and a3DCRT (P=O.007,0.001,0.002,0.000,and 0.000),and the CI of a3DCRT was superior to that of i3DCRT (P=O.000);there were no significant differences in heart D33,spinal cord Dmax and D1 cm3,and both lungs between the three plans (P=O.702,0.237,0.163,0.739,0.908,0.832,0.886,0.722,0.429,0.840,and 0.702).For intracranial tumor patients,there were no significant differences in dosimetric parameters between the three plans,except that the CI of iIMRT and a3DCRT was superior to that of i3DCRT (P=O.648,0.783,0.256,0.931,0.002,and 0.034);there were no significant differences in whole brain irradiation dose between the three plans (P=0.446,0.755,0.772,0.0266,0.440,0.290,and 0.939).Conclusions For the single target in patients with lung cancer and intracranial tumors,a3DCRT can improve the CI of PTV compared with i3DCRT,and shows no significant dosimetric disadvantage for OARs compared with iIMRT.Considering the simplicity and low cost of 3DCRT,a3DCRT holds promise as a novel radiotherapy technique.